


Antsy Goblet

by Kiwi Stubbly-Punk (cranky__crocus)



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-04
Updated: 2010-10-04
Packaged: 2017-10-12 10:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/123846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cranky__crocus/pseuds/Kiwi%20Stubbly-Punk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor McGonagall's assignment does not go exactly as she planned, but she does discover a delightful surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Antsy Goblet

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this so long ago; I can't even picture how long ago it was. This was one of my old word-a-day drabbles, so somewhere between 14 and 16 but probably closer to the prior. Just some silly writing. Goodness, my Kittyhawk writing has changed since then!

            McGonagall held back a sigh as she watched her students attempt to transform goblets into a string of ants. They were sixth-years and this type of transfiguration was particularly tricky: it involved picturing the goblet as many different parts—groups of particles within the very material—and spelling each group into a different crawling creature.

            The difficulty was well realised when viewing the students’ attempts. Some of the goblets began crawling across the surface of the desks; one was unlucky enough to go unnoticed and smash into pieces on the hard stone floor. Others were gigantic ants, while even more began overflowing with the creatures: the students had only transfigured the inner layer of the glass.

            She shook her head ever so slightly as she walked. An interesting sight caught her attention.

            A quiet Hufflepuff in the corner had a line of ants in front of her and was diligently squashing one ant every few. Professor McGonagall hurried over.

            “Young woman, what in Merlin’s name are you doing?”

            The student looked up and paled, halting the line of ants with a quick spell.

            “I transfigured them at the beginning of class and didn’t know what to do, so I thought I’d experiment… I wanted to know if the glass would reform cracked or shattered if I killed some of the ants. I can’t destroy matter, but I am changing its state from animate to inanimate only partially,” the girl explained nervously.  She shot glances around the classroom to check the progress of her peers.

            Noting their utter _lack_ of progress, her eyes fluttered down; she would no longer meet the teacher’s eyes. If she had, she would have found that the woman was gazing down with a peculiar blend amusement and pride in her eyes.

            “And your conclusion was…?” McGonagall prompted. There was a very slight undertone of careful amusement and—daresay—curiosity in her voice. She knew that if her voice grew too kind or interested, the other students would twirl around and wonder what had softened their shrill transfiguration teacher so.

            “My conclusion has not been reached, but my hypothesis is that it will appear cracked…” The student’s voice was still soft and unsure. McGonagall tapped her long finger gently on the table top; the Hufflepuff got the idea and lifted her eyes enough to mumble a counter spell to her previous pausing spell and then transfigure the long line of ants back into the goblet.

            It was cracked all around the glass walls.  Her base was slightly wobbly—a _very_ small mistake in transfiguration compared to the skills she was displaying—but stayed up well enough.

            “It appears you excel in transfiguration, not to mention the sciences!” the Professor remarked in a conspiratorial whisper, once more not bringing the class’ attention to her voice. Such approbation from McGonagall was rare: the student’s eyes shot up as a smile spread across her lips. It wasn’t a very confident smile, but it was a start.

            “Thank you, Professor McGonagall!” she cooed with a slight blush.  “I like science.”

            “It likes you,” the woman retorted with her normal sharp tone even as her eyes twinkled.  “You are Iliana, correct?”

            The girl nodded and beamed. Her features turned to shock as McGonagall did the most uncharacteristic thing: she winked before walking back to the front of the room. The students didn’t notice the shine in her eyes or that every once in a while the corner of her lips would twitch in what could be a withheld smile.

            “That’s the end of your transfiguration lesson,” she concluded as the students began packing up. She, of course, would be left to clean up the giant ants, shattered glass, and colonies of hymenoptera now running rampant on the desks and stones. The students were scowling as they herded out of the classroom.

            Iliana was slower, glancing at her goblet before gathering her load of books and walking toward the door.

            “Iliana.”

            It came from McGonagall.

            “You might have an interest in seeing Professor Sprout about science and magic experiments: it’s a passion of hers as well. I’m sure she would appreciate the knowledge that there could be some student interest in future procedures,” she explained and at last did smile.

            Iliana was so surprised by this that she stared for a number of seconds before blushing and answering. “Oh, yes, thank you!”

            The Professor nodded once, the smile having jumped from her lips to her eyes.  Once Iliana was out of the room the woman went on to spell the ants away, repair the shattered glasses and transfigure the giant ants back to their proper goblet form. Her eyes stopped at the cracked goblet: what to do with that?

            “My cat-woman! Did you amaze your attentive students?” an amused, playful voice called from the door. Minerva smiled fully and chuckled as she looked down at the table top.

            “I’m afraid I didn’t do the amazing today.”

            She felt a strong arm encircle her waist and a curious chin rest on her shoulder. Hooch grinned as she looked down at the cracked goblet.

            “Transfiguration gone wrong?” she inquired. “I hope they didn’t amaze you with their lacking…”

            Minerva shook her head, smiling as her cheek brushed Hooch’s. “It was intentional. A Hufflepuff—Iliana—managed to transfigure the goblet into a string of ants almost immediately and went on to test whether the goblet would appear damaged if she killed some of the ants. This was her product.”

            Roalnda nodded and chuckled against Minerva.

            “Pommie would have enjoyed that.”

            “That’s exactly where I sent her,” Min replied as she gingerly picked up the goblet and walked toward the cupboard. She placed it on a cloth pad before returning to her desk to write up a little note. She noted her reasoning for keeping it, the date was, the occurrence and the student’s name. Minerva wished to remember it for at least a short while.

            “That important, mm?” Hooch was resting against one of the desks with her arms crossed over her chest and one leg crossed over the other at the ankle. “I don’t see how it could be _that_ important—we certainly can’t use it for a drink.”

            Minerva took her wand from her robes and spelled the doors locked before strutting over to the woman and straddling her legs.

            “We’ll find new goblets for your vices.” She separated cloth with her fingertips and pressed her lips to the skin directly centred between her collarbones. “Though I must have missed some ants in my clean-up, for there appears to be _something_ squirming in your trousers…”

            Hooch threw her head back and barked out her laughter. Minerva kissed the woman under the chin before Rolanda sobered and gazed down again with her piercing hawk eyes. McGonagall shivered under the intellectual and kind amber, but managed to tear herself away and release Rolanda.

Minerva unlocked the doors with a mouthed spell and hurried back to her desk.

            Later. They both knew they had classes—no matter how lamented. It was something to look forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. (:


End file.
